Shi Aohan faced the world with a bare face. Her red and swollen eyes made her look extremely pitiful, and she seemed vulnerable as she walked out to greet guests.
When Lu Yingshuang saw her, she wasn't as enthusiastic as usual. She walked inside coldly. Once she reached Shi Aohan's room and there were no outsiders around, she took off her veil hat. There was a long scar on her left cheek. Even with a thick layer of powder, it was still visible.
"Do you see this? I'm like this now, and the wound on my face will never heal. Are you satisfied?"
Shi Aohan stared blankly at her, tears streaming down like broken beads. "Yingshuang, hit me, scold me. If it still doesn't relieve your anger, take a knife and scratch my face. Do whatever you want. I regret it so much. Why did I come up with such a stupid idea for you? Why did I think that since the scheme wasn't too elaborate, it would be foolproof? I should have thought that it was so dangerous. Lu Wanning is such a terrifying person. How could I, how could I bear to let you suffer like this?"
She sobbed uncontrollably, which left Lu Yingshuang stunned.
Shi Aohan covered her face and continued crying bitterly. "It's all my fault, Yingshuang. If I could do it all over again, I'd rather put myself in danger than let you suffer the slightest bit of harm. Because you're my only and best friend since I came here."
Lu Yingshuang's heart softened. She sat down and cried with her. "You mean it was Lu Wanning who hurt me? But I was always on guard. I never ate or drank anything from her. How could I suddenly go crazy?"
Seeing that Lu Yingshuang had softened, Shi Aohan immediately held her hand. "Yingshuang, do you know that some incense can make people feel uncomfortable when hung inside a carriage? Why did she get off the carriage as soon as you got on? That's how she hurt you. It's a pity, though. The incense she used probably leaves no trace after it's burned, so no one can find out her wrongdoing. It's such a pity."
Lu Yingshuang believed her and nodded. Then she lowered her eyes. "Even if we find out, so what? My face is ruined, completely ruined. But the one who started all this got away unscathed. I... I'll never have a chance at that position in my life."
Shi Aohan gently wiped away her tears and said with a sob, "The position of the Crown Princess should have been yours. How could that Miss Fu compare to you? You're a well - known talented woman. Just thinking about it makes my heart ache unbearably. If I could, I'd like to bear the pain for you and the scars for you."
The two girls hugged each other and cried, as if they wanted to cry away all their recent misfortunes.
After a long time, Shi Aohan let go of Lu Yingshuang and asked with concern, "Have you thought about your future? Do you have any plans?"
Lu Yingshuang's face looked dull. "I'm like this. What plans can I have? My mother feels sorry for me, but my father and my uncle all treat me like a hungry wolf. They used to dote on me the most, but now... They're afraid I'll get in the way of my sisters' marriages after they know my face won't heal."
Shi Aohan clutched her heart. "How could this happen? You're the eldest daughter of the direct line. Their hearts are really too cruel."
Lu Yingshuang said listlessly, "My mother plans to send me back to our hometown. Then she'll find a son of a local gentry for me to marry. The Lu family has a high status. I won't be wronged after I get married... Well, this is the only way."
Shi Aohan's eyes widened. "Are you willing to accept this? Yingshuang, you're one of the most talented women. You're well - known in the capital. You were originally a candidate for the Crown Princess. Even if you couldn't be the Crown Princess, you should have married into a noble family and become the mistress of the clan."
Lu Yingshuang forced a bitter smile and touched her face. "How can I be so overconfident now?"
Shi Aohan shook her head. "But Yingshuang, are you really willing to watch your sisters all marry better than you? And our group of friends... Forget about me. My family status is different from yours. Are you willing to watch those who are not as good as you marry better? When the sisters get together in the future, won't you..."
Lu Yingshuang suddenly looked up. "I'm not willing, but what can I do? My appearance is ruined. The doctor said that even after I recover, the scars won't disappear. I may be able to cover them with makeup, but when I wash my face at night and my husband sees my face... He'll only be unhappy."
"Serving a man with beauty? Yingshuang, a wife never needs to rely on her appearance to serve her husband."
Lu Yingshuang stared at her intently. After a long time, she asked, "You... Have a solution?"
...
Lady He didn't hold a grand birthday celebration, but it was appropriate to invite her good friends to gather. Although the Lu family and the He family had drifted apart, they were still in - laws after all. This was a good opportunity for the two families to mend their relationship.
The Princess got up early in the morning and took Lu Wanning and her two daughters - in - law to the banquet. On such an occasion, only the unmarried and unemployed young men would go. The rest were all ladies and young misses.
As for why the young men would go? Naturally, the ladies of each family were trying to find suitable partners for their sons. Although parents had the final say in marriage, if their children took a fancy to someone, they could also give it priority.
The Princess also had this in mind. She told Mrs. Wei early on, "Keep an eye on Ning'er later. If she looks at a young man more than once, write it down. Then check the background of that young man. If he's suitable..."
Mrs. Wei looked helpless. She actually thought that her younger sister - in - law had her own ideas and didn't need so much worry. Moreover, the Princess had already rejected all the young men in the capital. Some had low family status, some were not good - looking, and some had bad tempers. If they were all good but had concubines in the family, the Princess wouldn't be happy either.
Now, let the younger sister - in - law choose for herself? If she chose another young master like the young master of the Fu family, who seemed nice on the surface but actually ignored the younger sister - in - law, the Princess would probably be angry for half a year.
However, although she thought so in her heart, Mrs. Wei still obediently kept a close eye on Lu Wanning as she was told. But Lu Wanning ate, drank, played, and even had a verbal fight with He Chan. She never even glanced at any young man seriously.
This made people even more worried.
After Lu Wanning had had her fun, she looked up and saw the figures of Shi Aohan and Lu Yingshuang not far away.
Lu Yingshuang's face was ruined. How could she have recovered her mood so quickly and be willing to come out and play? It was really strange.
Lu Wanning didn't think much about it. She patted her sleeves and got up, planning to find He Nanfeng. Since she had failed to persuade Lu Hongxi, she decided to take both approaches. She couldn't forget about currying favor with the powerful. She hadn't seen Sheng Jinyu for a long time.
You need to meet someone to build a relationship. If you can't even meet, the relationship won't be good. She'd better find He Nanfeng to make an introduction first.
After learning that He Nanfeng was in the pavilion in the north, Lu Wanning excused herself by saying that she hadn't returned the gift to her cousin last time and went straight to the pavilion. But when she got there, she didn't see He Nanfeng. She only saw Sheng Songyan, the young master of the Prince of Qishan.
"Why are you here?"
Sheng Songyan raised his eyebrows and looked at her. "Why can't I be here?"
Lu Wanning looked around. "Where's my cousin?"
Sheng Songyan was dissatisfied with Lu Wanning because of the trouble she had caused before. He spread his hands. "How should I know? What do you want from him?"